Mincemeat tart

Description

This is a great recipe for busy people – it takes little time to make and can have little shortcuts along the way to make it even quicker if you need them.

Ingredients

150g plain flour

75g unsalted butter

50g caster sugar

1 large egg

OR 1 pack of ready-made shortcrust pastry

200g mincemeat (homemade is best)

Instructions

Start by making the shortcrust pastry. Sift the flour into a large bowl, cube the butter and add it in on top. Get your hands into the bowl and push the mixture through your fingertips until it forms a breadcrumb-like texture. Tip the sugar into the bowl and work through. Whisk the egg separately then add into the bowl. Using a round bladed knife work the egg into the mixture and bring it together into a dough. Wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Alternatively, unwrap you pre-made pastry.

Preheat your oven to 200ºC. Take the pastry from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface until it is a good 4 cm wider than your 21cm loose-bottomed, fluted tart tin. Grease the tin lightly with butter then lay the pastry gently over the top and push into the edging. Spike with a fork all over and then bake blindly in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes using baking beans, then 8 minutes without.

Once the pastry is blind-baked, spoon the mincemeat into the tart and smooth out with the back of the spoon.

Cut a snowflake or star out of the remaining pastry and place it in the middle of the tart.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes, or until the snowflake is golden brown.

Allow to cool and then dust with icing sugar. Serve hot or cold, with extra brandy cream.